The Canterbury Tales

Marc Notes: Originally published: Garden City, N. Y.: Garden City Pub. Co., c1934.; Rendered into modern English by J. U. Nicolson. Jacket Description/Back: A group of pilgrims bound for Canterbury Cathedral agree to pass the weary miles by taking turns at storytelling. The travelers?noble, coarse, jolly, and pious?offer a vibrant portrait of fourteenth-century English life. Their narratives form English literature's greatest collection of chivalric romances, bawdy tales, fables, legends, and other stories."The Canterbury Tales" reflects a society in transition, as a middle class began to emerge from England's feudal system. Craftsmen and laborers ride side by side with the gentry on the road to the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket, and their discussions and arguments about ethical issues mirror their changing world. The pilgrims' conversations and stories also reveal their individual personalities, and Chaucer's vivid, realistic characterizations assured the "Tales" an instant and enduring success. Each pilgrim's story can be read separately and appreciated in its own right; all appear here in a lucid translation into modern English verse by J. U. Nicolson. Dover (2015) republication of the modern English verse translation by J. U. Nicolson, originally published in 1934. See every Dover book in print atwww.doverpublications.comBiographical Note: Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages. His greatest work stands as "The Canterbury Tales."Publisher Marketing: A group of pilgrims bound for Canterbury Cathedral agree to pass the weary miles by taking turns at storytelling. The travelers ? noble, coarse, jolly, and pious ? offer a vibrant portrait of fourteenth-century English life. Their narratives form English literature's greatest collection of chivalric romances, bawdy tales, fables, legends, and other stories."The Canterbury Tales" reflects a society in transition, as a middle class began to emerge from England's feudal system. Craftsmen and laborers ride side by side with the gentry on the road to the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket, and their discussions and arguments about ethical issues mirror their changing world. The pilgrims' conversations and stories also reveal their individual personalities, and Chaucer's vivid, realistic characterizations assured the "Tales" an instant and enduring success. Each pilgrim's story can be read separately and appreciated in its own right; all appear here in a lucid translation into modern English verse by J. U. Nicolson. Review Citations: New Yorker (The) 12/21/2009 pg. 140 (EAN 9781847490209, Paperback) Audio File 04/01/2009 pg. 58 (EAN 9781602834859, Compact Disc) Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/1996 pg. 364 (EAN 9780192781093, Hardcover) Entertainment Weekly 12/12/2008 pg. 71 (EAN 9780679643555, Hardcover) Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2009 (EAN 9780679643555, Hardcover) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/1998 pg. 633 (EAN 9781857591132, Hardcover) Ingram Paperback Advance 01/01/2005 pg. 57 (EAN 9780451529688, Mass Market Paperbound) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/1998 pg. 633 (EAN 9780963651235, Paperback) Library Journal 01/01/1994 (EAN 9780963651235, Paperback) Wilson Senior High Core Col 01/01/2007 pg. 481 (EAN 9780140424386, Paperback) Wilson Senior High Core Col 01/01/2011 pg. 592 (EAN 9780140424386, Paperback) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/1998 pg. 633 (EAN 9780140440225, Paperback) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/1998 pg. 633 (EAN 9780140380538, Paperback) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/1998 pg. 633 (EAN 9780811468213, Paperback) School Library Journal 08/01/1998 (EAN 9781556855351, Analog Audio Cassette) Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/1991 pg. 470 (EAN 9780688062019, Hardcover) Wilson Middle/Junior Hi Catalo 01/01/1995 pg. 439 (EAN 9780688062019, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 96 01/01/1996 pg. 392 (EAN 9780688062019, Hardcover) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/1998 pg. 633 (EAN 9780688062019, Hardcover) Wilson Middle/Junior Hi Catalo 01/01/2000 pg. 274 (EAN 9780688062019, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2001 pg. 322 (EAN 9780688062019, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 10/28/1988 (EAN 9780688062019, Hardcover) School Library Journal 11/01/1988 (EAN 9780688062019, Hardcover) Wilson Middle/Junior Hi Catalo 01/01/2005 pg. 342 (EAN 9780688062019, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2006 pg. 456 (EAN 9780688062019, Hardcover) Wilson Middle/Junior Hi Catalo 01/01/2009 pg. 489 (EAN 9780688062019, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2010 pg. 700 (EAN 9780688062019, Hardcover) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/1998 pg. 633 (EAN 9780679409892, Hardcover) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/1998 pg. 633 (EAN 9780671727697, Mass Market Paperbound) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/1998 pg. 633 (EAN 9780192741813, Paperback) Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2001 pg. 323 (EAN 9780192741813, Paperback) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/1998 pg. 633 (EAN 9780553210828, Mass Market Paperbound) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/1998 pg. 633 (EAN 9780394702933, Paperback) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/1998 pg. 633 (EAN 9780606004473, Prebound-Sewn) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/1998 pg. 633 (EAN 9780192833600, Paperback) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/1998 pg. 633 (EAN 9781853264368, Paperback) Contributor Bio:  Chaucer, Geoffrey Thought to have been born in London, England, circa 1342 or 1343, Geoffrey Chaucer is considered "the first finder of our language" even before the time of Shakespeare. The Canterbury Tales ranks as one of the greatest poetic works in the English language. Perhaps the chief characteristics of Chaucer's works are their variety in subject matter, genre, tone, style, and in the complexities presented concerning man's pursuit of a sensible existence. Yet his writings also consistently reflect an all-pervasive humor, combined with serious and tolerant consideration of important philosophical questions. From his writings Chaucer emerges as a poet of love, both earthly and divine. His stories lead the listener to speculate about man's relationship both to other people and to his Maker, while simultaneously providing entertaining views of the frailties and follies, as well as the nobility, of mankind.